Bothered by premenstrual symptoms? New study shows that lemon balm may help

Well, a new study in the Journal of Herbal Medicine suggests that taking the herb lemon balm (which is a member of the mint family and has a lemony flavor) can give you significant relief from all of these premenstrual woes, making your pre-period week easier.

How’d the researchers find this out?

In their study, they gave one group of 31 women with premenstrual syndrome–characterized by emotional and/or physical problems that occur only during the two weeks leading up to menstruation–a pill containing 500 mg. of lemon balm twice daily on each of the 14 days before their period for two consecutive cycles.

Another group of 31 women were given placebos to take on the same cycle days also for two cycles in a row.

Neither group knew which pills they were taking.

What the researchers found:

In the first month, women taking lemon balm saw the severity of their premenstrual symptoms drop by more than half. In the second month, they dropped even more–to just over one-quarter of what they were at the start of the trial.

By comparison, the women taking the placebo saw only a small improvement in premenstrual symptoms over the two cycles.

So, how does lemon balm work? The researchers explain that this herb combats premenstrual woes from a variety of angles:

It has mildly sedating compounds, which have been shown to curb stress and restlessness and improve sleep–which, in turn, boosts mood and daytime energy and reduces sensitivity to pain.

It improves mood, concentration and memory by binding to certain receptors in the brain (nicotinic and muscarinic).

It reduces flatulence, indigestion and digestive cramping by calming the digestive tract.

If you want to try lemon balm for your own premenstrual symptoms, you can find this herb in supplement form at health food stores, pharmacies and trusted online vitamin and herb stores, such as Vitacost.com and SwansonVitamins.com. The dose used in this study was 500 mg. twice daily on the 14 days prior to your period (the second half of your monthly cycle after ovulation).

Or you can brew lemon balm tea or add lemon balm to recipes during your premenstrual phase. Here are few to try:

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Gabrielle Lichterman, founder of Hormonology® and a longtime women’s health journalist, pioneered the growing movement among women to live in sync with their menstrual cycles and know more about all the ways their hormones impact their moods, health and behavior. This movement was launched in 2005 with Gabrielle's groundbreaking book, 28 Days: What Your Cycle Reveals about Your Love Life, Moods and Potential, and her creation of Hormonology®. She offers a variety of tools--including her popular free Hormone Horoscope® app, eBooks, infographics, videos and tips--to share vital information about hormones.